Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-One: Journey to the Heart Kingdom

How's it going, readers? Day 3 is here, meaning we're halfway there. Cya

"The Heart Kingdom, aye? Interesting," Yami could be heard saying on the other side of a communication device.

The next day had arrived as the group of Black Bulls left the Agrippa household, the sun having just risen an hour prior as the sunlight was beginning to engulf everything.

Gordon was the one holding the device in question as the captain finished speaking. "That's right, if we go there, we're bound to get some information,"

"Easier said than done," the dark mage said with a yawn. "We're not just talking about a village or a town that's close by, this is another country, waltzing in is illegal as hell; normally, we wouldn't care since we got scouts and all, but we shouldn't piss off a nation we're neutral with. Under normal circumstances, we'd ask the king to speak with the people over at Heart to grant us entry, but we all know how that'll go, so I'll ask Julius. Right now, just get back to base, good work,"

"Thanks, sir," they responded in unison as the transmission ended.

"This was certainly an adventure to remember," Asta commented as they flew through the sky. "I definitely won't forget that food,"

Grey nodded. "I know. Breakfast looked even freakier than dinner, but it was all so good. Didn't you think so too, Gauche?"

"I guess, but what the hell is up with these people and their morning rituals? How can you just play an organ and snap your fingers for a whole half hour?"

Gordon shrugged. "I did say we have a tendency for it," he said. "What I'm more concerned about is how you all slept last night. Our beds can be quite…unorthodox,"

"Don't remind us," they said, all shivering at the thought of it.

"I think it's best we change the subject," Nero said, staring down at the mage whose head she was perched on. "So, Donny, what did you think about what your dad said? Y'know, about his new style of curse magic? You did say you'd help him out,"

"Yeah. Even now, I'm kind of surprised, but I'm glad, this can open a new path for me to grow in strength, the potential of this new application is limitless,"

"Are you sure you didn't want to stay then?" Asta inquired. "It could've been a great chance to get started,"

His squadmate shook his head. "I can get started at a later time, right now, helping you is my top priority,"

The swordsman couldn't help but smile warmly. "I appreciate that,"

A few hours passed before Black Bulls HQ was in sight. They landed down close by and dismounted from their brooms. Gauche let out an audible yawn. "It's still pretty early, all things considered, I think I might go and get some shut-eye, and this time, on a bed that doesn't look like it'll kill you,"

The group walked in and was met by the sight of everyone going through their respective morning routines. "We're back!" Asta announced loudly as Yami's hand came from out of nowhere and clutched his head.

"Keep it down, kid, or I'll make you wish the Parliament executed you,"

"Yes sir, sorry sir, won't happen again sir," the swordsman apologized and was promptly released.

Yami sighed. "We both know that's a lie, you'd start yapping like a madman in a week's time,"

"Oh c'mon, have a little faith in me," the magicless mage rubbed his head before setting his eyes on his pair of peers. "How'd your trips go?"

"Mine was…very informative," was all Noelle shared.

"Same here, but mine's ended in an epic three-way battle between me, Ryusei, and Alice," Kenos went up next.

"Awesome. Who won? Was it you?"

"Surprisingly, no, it was Alice. Granted, a few things happened that gave her an advantage, but I was still super impressed. She told us she's going to try and get stronger, and I know she'll succeed,"

"Hm," the water mage played with her pigtail. "Y'know, now that I've got Valkyrie Armor and everything, maybe the two of us should have a battle sometime. Both of us created spells that were inspired by my mother,"

"Now that's a fight I'd pay good money to watch," the solar mage grinned. "Just don't feel too bad when she mops the floor with you,"

"Excuse me?!" Noelle squealed, jumping up from her seat as she pointed at the black-haired teen. "How dare you?!"

"How dare I, what?" he leaned back into his seat, slinging his arms above his head. "Look, I know you're like a little sister to me, but Alice and I have been friends for years, that and she's older, not to mention she's had her spell for longer,"

"You forgot something really important…I'm royalty!" she exclaimed, just for Yami to repeat the same action as he did earlier, their eyes now meeting.

"What did I say about keeping it down?"

"Sorry," she apologized in a frightened tone as she was put down.

"If you all want to make noise, save it for the afternoon or something," he returned to his chair.

"How'd Ryusei do during the spar?" Asta questioned with a little anticipation. "I assume he used Azaela's power at some point?"

"More like he used it the whole time. Void Magic is pretty interesting and so is Azaela, she's got quite the history,"

"Void Magic, huh? That does sound cool," Asta then clenched his fist with joyous determination. "If I'm lucky, maybe we can have another spar,"

Hearing that, Kenos unslung his arms and scratched the back of his head. "About that, you might get your wish after all. Ryu has been hiding his devil from pretty much everyone, so he's never been able to practice consistently; since you all know the secret, I told him he could stop by here whenever he wanted to train," his eyes shifted to his captain. "I hope that's okay with you?"

The dark mage shrugged. "Sure. If training here gives him a chance to surpass his limits, it's fine with me, just as long as it doesn't end up with Fuegoleon pestering me about why he'll be here so often,"

"Thanks, captain,"

Yami gave a simple nod, but just then, his communication device began beeping. "I'd better take this," he got up and walked outside, closing the door behind him.

The solar mage's attention was back on Asta. "What about you and the others? How did your trip go,"

Nero reverted back to her human form as she sat on the couch. "It was actually pretty fun…for the most part,"

"Let me guess, a lot of mumbling?" Magna guessed.

"Strangely enough, no, I guess that was just a Donny thing,"

Gauche sat down. "I mean, the food was actually really damn tasty, but for the love of all that's good and holy, they snap way too much,"

The dual mage's ears perked up. "Tasty food? How tasty was it?"

"On the same level as yours, I think," Grey answered, but then she started to wave her hands in a panic. "W-What I meant was, it's close to yours, that's it!"

Charmy crossed her arms. "Is that so?" she asked dryly.

"Y-Yup,"

The angelic grimoire opened. "So, what did you learn that could help with the investigation?"

"Not as much as we were hoping, but we did learn from Gordon's dad that there's a cursed person in the Heart Kingdom," Asta replied. "If all goes well, we may be heading there,"

"Wait, what?!" many of them exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Kenos needed the confirmation, and it was given to him as Yami walked back inside.

"He is. I just finished talking to Julius, we're all good to go to Heart, the trip will be in two days, but we can't bring too many people, we don't want them thinking we may be trying to threaten them or something," he told them all. "I already know the kid's going. Who else?"

The solar mage raised his hand. "I'll tag along. I don't know if it will mean anything to them, but having a member of an esteemed family present could act as a further sign of goodwill, that and I want to see the kingdom for myself,"

"If goodwill is what we're going for, I'll come too," Noelle offered herself up. "Who knows, perhaps this cursed person could have some knowledge of Megicula,"

"As will I," Secre did the same.

"Finral, you're going with them," Yami said. "If things go south, we'll need a quick getaway,"

"Yes sir,"

The dark mage held his chin. "Five people should be enough,"

"Hold on," the water mage suddenly spoke up. "Mimosa would be a good addition too. She and Kirsch were part of a program two years ago that had them visiting the Heart Kingdom,"

"Having someone who's already been there come along sounds good to me. I assume you'll be the one telling her about it then?"

"Sure thing, captain,"

"Actually," Finral butted in. "I don't mind doing it, I was already planning to stop by Golden Dawn HQ today,"

"You were?" Vanessa put down a glass of wine in her hand. "Why would…no. You aren't going to do what I think you're going to do?"

Her fears were confirmed as he nodded and smiled nervously. "Yeah, I'm going to go pay my brother a visit,"

Perspective shifted over to the base of the kingdom's strongest brigade, but something was different. Usually, sunrise was when the area would have people going out and about, either training outside or heading out on missions, but today wasn't usual. Not a single person was seen outside the building, rather, they were all inside.

One such person was none other than Langris. The vice-captain sat up on his bed, looking ahead, focusing on nothing in particular. It was clear to see he was deep in thought.

However, he was brought out of his head by the sound of soft humming, a reminder that he wasn't alone. Turning his head slightly to the left, he saw Finesse, peeling an apple.

It wasn't very often that the mage felt embarrassment, but now was such a moment if the nervous scratching of his cheek said anything. "Um, you still haven't told me what you're doing here,"

He wasn't lying, the woman had entered his room, gotten comfortable, and refused to elaborate further. "Isn't it obvious? I came to see how you were doing," she replied with a smile as she cut a piece of the fruit. "Here,"

"Um, thank you," he took it with some reluctance, helping himself to the treat. "Did my parents tell you to do this,"

"No,"

"Then why come? I tried to kill you, remember?" he looked away from her.

"Don't be silly. You weren't yourself, I know you'd never try to hurt your parents, or me. I know you're a little rough around the edges, but you're a nice boy when it counts,"

That last part made Langris feel guilty, but he didn't know why. He figured that it may be because of the woman's praise of him despite how much he insulted her behind everyone's back, but that couldn't be it, he's never felt bad about it before. So why now?

"You give me too much credit, I'm not really-," he was saying before a knock at the door cut him off, something he was secretly grateful for. "Come in,"

Alas, that sense of gratitude fizzled away at the sight of his older brother's form. "Finral?"

"Hey there, Langris, I-, oh Finesse, I didn't know you'd be here," he shifted his greeting over to the woman, his face turning a light shade of red.

"That I am, it's good to see you," she greeted him back with the same expression.

The younger spatial mage's eyes shifted between them and the almost loving stare they gave one another, causing him to clear his throat loudly. "You were saying something?"

"O-Oh right, my bad. I stopped by the market on my way here and got a slice of your favorite cake," he revealed an opaque bag. "So, how are you feeling?"

Langris blinked. "You actually care?"

"No duh. Why wouldn't I care?"

"Because I tried to kill you," he answered, staring down at his sheets. "On…more than one occasion,"

Finral waved it off. "Don't worry about it, that was due to Latri's influence, even during the exam," he placed the bag on the nightstand.

"Mother and Father don't know that yet, I assume. In their eyes, I probably made a fool of myself for trying to attack the king. Who knows, they'll probably consider making you the successor of House Vaude again,"

"You really think so?" his tone held some surprise.

His brother shrugged. "I don't know, I can't speak for them," he responded before stealing a quick glance at the lady who was present, deciding to do something. It was strange though, just a month prior, he wouldn't have dreamed of doing this, but for some reason, he didn't mind this time around.

"I wouldn't even mind stepping down, then at least you could finally marry Finesse,"

"Huh?!" Finral exclaimed as his face lit up. "H-Ha, you and your jokes. We both know she'd never want to marry somebody like me. That would be-,"

"Actually," Finesse's soft voice cut him off, her face nearly as red as his. "I…I wouldn't mind that,"

The older spatial mage was stunned into silence, but then he suddenly slapped himself to obtain composure. "Then I'll make you the happiest woman I possibly can," he proclaimed with confidence.

"I'll be waiting for you then," she said back, staring down at another fruit to peel.

Finral faced his brother. "Hey, I don't know if you were being serious or not, but…thanks for saying that," he gave him a smile.

Just like before, a shot of guilt went through the knight and he didn't know why, all he did know was that he didn't like the feeling, not one bit, so he got up from his bed. "Finral, I want to talk to you…," he neared the door and opened it. "...Alone,"

Seeing their bewildered faces, he continued. "Relax, I'm not going to try anything if that's what you were wondering,"

"Okay then," with that, the two brothers were out the door, walking along the hallway, the younger ahead of the older.

"Y'know, I'm surprised your squad let you come here, considering what happened,"

Finral rubbed the back of his head. "Trust me, they were quite…vocal about coming along with me, but I told them I'd be fine. What did you want to talk about?"

"Two things in particular," he came to a halt and turned around. "First, what the hell is up with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you being so nice to me right now?" he demanded with annoyance. "Even after I've been such a jerk to you. Back during our fight at the exam, you said it was because you still love me as a brother, but you couldn't have possibly meant that, the hatred I sent your way should've made you hate me too. So, why don't you?"

The black bull didn't answer right away, like he was thinking of a response. "I guess it's because…I see something in you, a person that can be better. We're all products of our environment, so I guess I just believed that providing genuine affection would bring that part of you out,"

Hearing that made Langris punch the wall, startling his brother. "Then that leads to the second thing I wanted to talk about…what the hell is wrong with me?!" he exclaimed the last part.

Finral tilted his head. "What?"

"Why does hearing you and Finesse say nice things about me make me feel so guilty? I despise you both, I shouldn't care about what either of you say, at least…I thought I shouldn't, I don't know anymore,"

Seeing him in turmoil, Finral said something. "Maybe this is a sign, maybe you're feeling this guilt because deep down, you want to become a better person,"

The vice-captain's eyes widened as he recalled similar words being spoken to him not so long ago.

"You can become a better version of yourself too, if you're willing to try," his subconscious said, having taken his half-brother's form.

"Perhaps you're right," he said softly, leaning his back against the wall. "But what made it start now all of a sudden?"

Finral shrugged. "Maybe it was because you were possessed?"

"Possessed, huh?" he thought back to that time, his body sliding down and assuming the same fetal position he had while in his headspace. "I don't ever want to experience that again; no matter what I did, I couldn't get free, I don't want to experience that again. Never in my whole life had I felt so powerless and so…pathetic,"

His eyes reluctantly met the fellow spatial mage's. "Is that…how I made you feel for all these years?"

Finral uncomfortably rubbed his arm, frowning. "Yeah,"

Langris looked away. "I'm…I'm…sorry," he whispered.

"You say something?"

"I said I'm sorry, okay!" he exclaimed this time, quickly standing up. "It's not like I wasn't trying to make you feel inferior, but now that Latri put me on the receiving end of it, I guess I feel a little bit of remorse,"

To say that the man in green was shocked would be an understatement, but he smiled nonetheless. "Apology accepted,"

"Not yet it isn't," he got closer and turned his head. "Punch me,"

"What?"

"You heard me. You may say that you care for me and want me to be better, but we're all human, there's bound to be some pent-up anger inside, so let it out right now. Think about everything, the taunting words, the feeling of shame, the coma I put you in, channel all of your rage and-,"

He was stopped as the feeling of a fist hit him right in the cheek, sending him back a number of feet, the younger brother now lying flat on his back. "No warning, aye? I guess I deserved that," he slowly rose to his feet, nursing his bruise. "No way that's all you've got inside? C'mon, I take a few more,"

"Uh, one is enough for me," Finral refused. "Besides, I'm just glad you're deciding to turn over a new leaf, even though it's going to take some getting used to,"

"Trust me, it's going to be strange for the both of us," Langris said back.

"Hello, vice-captain, you're out of bed," the mage turned around, seeing Mimosa and Letoile, both in casual indoor clothes.

"What happened to your face?" the compass mage asked.

"Oh…I fell," he lied.

Finral quickly moved in to change the subject. "Hey there, you two, how are you?"

"We're doing fine. And you? It's good to see you're awake,"

He laughed it off. "Thanks for the concern, Letoile," his eyes then zeroed in on her bandaged left forearm. "What happened?"

"It was Kivn, the elf who possessed me. She stabbed me there when I fought back, it's not too bad of a wound," she explained.

"If you say so," he then faced the royal. "And Mimosa, it's a good thing you ran into me. We'd like for you to accompany us on a mission,"

"What kind of mission?" she was curious.

"It's for Asta's investigation, we discovered a lead in the Heart Kingdom, so we're heading there in two days. Noelle told us you had gone there before. Will you come along?"

"No problem, anything to help out Asta," she accepted.

"Thanks. Once we get the coordinates, we'll tell you where to meet up with us," he informed her before taking out his grimoire. "Well, I should be heading back now,"

"Hold on," Langris stopped him. "After you're done with this mission, do you want to…um…hang out or something?"

"...Sure thing,"

The day had come at last.

Perspective shifted to a dock with a single medium-sized boat atop the glistening water. "I hope you're all ready for this," Julius addressed the six that stood across from him who would embark on the journey at hand.

"Do us a favor and try not to spark a war by accident," Yami joked as he stood beside the wizard king.

"Will do," they answered with nervous laughs.

"My precious friends, and Mimosa, on behalf of our squad, I wish you safe travels," Gordon chimed in.

The time mage spoke up again. "Speaking of Mimosa, do you have that communication device I gave you?"

"Yes, your Majesty," she motioned to her satchel. "If anything is discovered, I am to call you immediately,"

"Great. Well, if everyone has said their peace, then-,"

"Hold on!" two voices called from the distance, everyone shifting their gaze as they spotted two people approaching them.

"Ryusei and Teiko,"

"What are you guys doing here?" Kenos questioned.

"What else? We're here to see you off," the dragon mage explained before taking a look around, nodding to himself. "Alright, everyone here knows. Anyway, Secre told Teiko about it, who then went to Sir Julius so that a discreet letter could be sent over to my HQ for Zae to know about it, and me by extension,"

Just as he said that, the formalities occurred before Azaela stepped out of her portal. "It's a bit convoluted, but it gets the job done,"

"Wow, so that's Azaela? She's quite the looker, but she's got nothing on Finesse," Finral thought with pride.

The void devil hurried over to Secre, wrapping her in a hug. "Make sure you come back in one piece, from what I remember, Heart is a long way from here,"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine, they're not being sent off to battle," Teiko neared them, comedically pulling her off the girl. "You should be more worried about not getting bored on the way there,"

"I'll find some way to entertain myself," Secre smiled as she noticed the gaze of someone. "Oh, that's right, you haven't been introduced to each other. Donny, these are my friends from the past, Teiko Kyo and Azaela Peritome. As for you two, this is my friend from the present, Gordon Agrippa,"

"Charmed," the three said to one another.

Kenos and Ryusei shared a quick fistbump. "Did you not tell Alice?"

"I did, and she wanted to come, but her parents found out about yesterday's 'incident'," the kaiyo replied.

"Oh,"

Asta joined the conversation. "Hey, I heard that you'll be a regular face at our hideout soon. Why don't we have another spar when you stop by? I want to see what this void magic can do,"

"You're on," he accepted the challenge as they high-fived.

"If you don't mind me asking," Noelle joined them too. "Could you ask Alice to come along? I'd like to…ask her something,"

"Uh, sure, no problem," the crimson-clad knight answered, turning to his friend for some silent clues of clarification, but all he got was a silent shake of the head.

Julius loudly cleared his throat. "As much as I love to see friends seeing one another off, I'm afraid we don't have all day,"

With that, the group of six got on the boat and removed the anchor, sailing to the kingdom in the west.

The time mage turned to Yami. "In the meantime, I'd like to start getting some information from the other countries, we need to know which one my vision foresaw. That group is already heading to Heart and we're too far from Spade for quick travel, so we'll start with Diamond. Can you send a group there to learn what they can?"

"On it, I know a group that can handle it," he clover-saluted.

"Good. I'd better be off, tons of paperwork to do," Julius pulled out an item from his cloak, one that resembled an orb that was divided into an upper and lower hemisphere. Twisting it, he was enveloped in light and vanished.

"We'd better get going too, you have a mission with Davis and Lucy happening in an hour," Azaela reminded her partner as she retreated into her space.

"Right," Ryusei said, turning to Yami. "Thank you again for letting me come over to train,"

"Don't mention it," the dark mage waved it off as the teen left.

"Captain, are you coming?" Gordon asked, already on his broom.

Yami was about to get his own broom, but that's when he noticed that someone had yet to leave, none other than Teiko, the semi-immortal standing at the docks' edge over to the right. "You can go without me, I'll catch up,"

The poison mage nodded, flying into the sky, leaving the two men alone.

Teiko stared at the sea, an almost blank look in his eyes, but something could still be found in them: melancholy.

"Whatcha doing?" Yami came up out of seemingly nowhere, but he wasn't the least bit startled.

"Just thinking,"

The dark mage stood beside him now, his gaze on the slowly moving waters. "Y'know, we haven't really had the chance to speak one-on-one like this before, so I hope you don't mind me asking this: Where are you from?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm from the same place you're from, Yami Sukehiro. Here I was thinking it was obvious, I'm wearing a kimono after all,"

"It was, I just wanted to make sure. To think someone else other than me was from the Land of the Rising Sun," he chuckled as well. "And while we're on the topic of your kimono, it looks ancient as all hell,"

"Hey, I'll have you know these were all the rage 500 years ago," Teiko joked, the somber look fading away. "How do they look nowadays?"

"Somewhat the same as yours, but the material is different, so they look sleeker. If anyone saw you in that, they'd think you were cosplaying," he told him.

"I see,"

Yami slung his arms behind his head, he was enjoying this talk, but then he said something that soured the water mage's mood in an instant.

"So, how exactly did you get here?"

Teiko's face shifted, returning to that blank look, one Yami didn't yet see, so he continued. "I was on a fishing trip and my boat got destroyed by some freaky storm, and then the next thing I knew, I washed up here,"

"Yeah, it was sort of the same with us,"

Yami's eyes darted in the man's direction quickly, noting his drop in tone, but something had his attention more. "Us?"

Teiko nodded. "I got stranded here with my mother and little sister. They…aren't around anymore,"

"I see, whatever made you last for so long couldn't be used on them, my condolences, it must've been hard having to bury them,"

"...It was," he clenched his fists so tight that his skin turned red. "Sometimes I just…miss them,"

The dark mage's expression became somber too. "I know what you mean, I miss my parents a lot,"

"Do you also have a sister? Or any other siblings?"

"...No, but I do have a cousin, he was always like a little brother to me, I hope he's doing alright," he smiled. "Say, do you ever think…we'll ever get to go back home one day?"

Teiko took note of the small amount of hope in his tone. "I don't know," he lied with a shrug.

"Well, maybe there'll be a way," Yami turned around and walked to his broom, mounting it. "Nice talk, cya around," he bid him farewell and flew away.

Teiko was finally alone. "Make no mistake, going back to my home, seeing it after all these centuries, it would fill me with nothing but joy…,"

He created his water board and glided away. "...And that's why I'll never return,"

"197..198..199..200!"

Three hours had passed since the group set sail, and with all that time passing, the knights had split up across the boat's limited space to partake in their personal pastimes, Asta's being the loudest as he was doing his usual set of pushups.

Everyone else's were far more quiet. Kenos had gotten comfortable and cracked open a book he'd been reading, Emmanuel was doing whatever Emmanuel does, Noelle and Mimosa were talking to one another about life and whatever else girls discussed, and Secre was peeking her head outside the boat to admire the occasional fish that passed by.

But then there was Finral.

"There's gotta be something to do around here!" he thought in frustration. It all started out fine, he used his portals to pass the time, popping his head in to observe the multiple places he'd been to, but that got old eventually.

"What's wrong? You looked bothered," the solar mage asked, noticing the vibe he gave off.

"Sorry, I'm just bored,"

"I see," Kenos closed his book and sat up. "Why don't we talk? You went to see Langris today and came back safe. I take it all went well?"

That question earned everyone's attention. "From what I saw, it seemed to," Mimosa chimed in. "Although, the vice-captain did have a bruise on his face, he told us he fell,"

"He wasn't lying, he did fall…" Finral paused. "...After I punched him,"

That really got everyone's attention. "What?! Did he try attacking you?!" Asta was the most vocal, punching his palm. "Just wait till I get my hands on him, the last beating he got from me will look like a walk in the meadow,"

"Wait! He didn't try anything, I promise!" his squadmate calmed him down. "He let me punch him,"

"Why?" everyone rightfully inquired.

"Because…he wanted us to be even. Langris, he wants to change, and it's genuine, I can feel it, he just needs time and patience,"

Kenos sighed. "Fine, if our paths ever cross, we promise not to be too hard on him, but if he does something to lose that trust, he'll be lucky to get out of it with a coma," he said, the others nodding in agreement.

"Thanks, everyone, that means a lot," he smiled warmly. "In addition, I have some more positive news regarding my visit,"

"Go on,"

His face turned a light shade of red. "You see, I got…involved with someone,"

"Are you serious?!" his squadmates couldn't believe it, meanwhile, Mimosa wasn't sure how to react, having been unaware of his many failures with the opposite sex.

"Yeah, it's true," he answered sheepishly.

"Wait, when you say 'involved', are you dating? Engaged?" Noelle was looking for clarification.

"I'm not exactly sure yet, all I know is that I like her, and she likes me too,"

"Works for me, congrats man," Kenos said. "So, tell us all about it. We can even be your romantic counselors or something,"

"Yeah, I'll pass," he declined. "No offense, but what would I gain from any of you? You're all hopelessly single and have no one interested in you for that matter,"

"Um, about that," the swordsman got close to him and started whispering something into the spatial mage's ear, stealing a few sneaky glances at the solar mage.

"Really? I see," he said as Asta backed up. "My point still partially stands,"

The noble was curious. "What did he say?"

"O-Oh, nothing much, don't worry about it. Back to what I was saying, you're all unfit to give advice," he comedically crossed his arms.

"Correction, young man, they are unfit," Emmanuel stated as he exited his grimoire, landing on the boat. "But not me, after all, I have a girlfriend,"

"Excuse me?!" the uninformed exclaimed in shock.

The angel nodded proudly. "It's true, and if I could just say, she's the most-,"

"Not letting this start again, stay on track," Kenos butted in.

Emmanuel cleared his throat. "Right, thank you. We don't have to do it here and now, but if you're ever in need of some counseling, you know where to find me,"

"Perfect, thanks," Finral gave him a thumbs-up, the angel returning it as he went back into the tome.

Asta stretched. "Well, that settles that, I'm going to do more pushups," he said, but then his stomach began to growl.

"You must be famished, don't worry, I came prepared," the plant mage walked to the back of the boat, pulling out a large picnic basket. "I made us lunch for the voyage," her cheeks bloomed as she focused on the magicless mage. "I hope you like it,"

The basket was opened, revealing a sizable amount of choices. Asta immediately set his eyes on a chicken sandwich. "Holy crap, this is amazing! So tasty, and crispy, and tasty,"

"You said that already," Noelle chided.

"Sorry, I just don't have the words to describe it," he took another bite.

The silver-haired royal narrowed her eyes. "This bugs me, but I don't know why," she thought before the boy suddenly began to choke on his food.

"I need water!"

"Sure, stand still," she pointed her wand, firing a small waterball right into his mouth, helping him swallow it down.

"Oh man, that was close, I owe you one,"

The tables now turned as the vermillion-haired royal narrowed her eyes. "This bugs me, but I don't know why,"

Kenos walked over, looking through his options before he spotted one. He grabbed a bowl, opening it to reveal something. "What is this?"

"Oh, that's one of my favorites, spaghetti with ground beef, fried potato chunks, and a spicy chili sauce. It's the ultimate comfort dish," she explained.

"You don't say?" he raised a brow as he dug his fork into it, getting a good portion before taking a bite.

And that's when his eyes widened greatly and a multitude of flavors exploded in his taste buds, the noble's face turning into one of pure bliss as heavenly music played in the background. But then he became aware of his surroundings again, noticing the group all staring at him strangely.

"What? Oh yeah, this is my life now, if you'll excuse me," he dashed over to one side of the boat and scarfed down the dish.

An hour passed and everyone sighed in satisfaction. "That wasn't bad at all," Secre said. "How far away are we from the Heart Kingdom now?"

Mimosa observed the surrounding area, spotting an egg-shaped rock in the near distance. "I remember that landmark, we should be another four or so hours away,"

"I think I know the perfect way for all of us to pass the time for this last stretch," Kenos reached into his satchel, pulling out a deck of cards. "Anyone interested?"

"I'll pass," the water mage immediately declined, the solar mage already knowing why.

"You're not in the mood to lose another six games I see?" he teased. "Don't worry, we can play something different, one without as many mind games,"

The royal perked up. "I'm listening,"

"It's called 'Crazy Eights',"

The boat was now silent. After many rounds of playing with each person scoring at least one win, the group decided to take a nap for the final two hours, knowing they'd need their strength.

"H-Huh?" Kenos was the first to wake up, still a little groggy as he rubbed the back of his neck. He folded his cover and pillow before standing up and stretching. "Are we there yet?" he turned around, and that's when he saw it.

"Uh, guys, wake up, you're gonna wanna see this," his call slowly awakened them as they stood up too, all but one of them marveling at the sight that was a thick blanket of fog that didn't belong.

"What is that?"

As for the last one, she wasn't worried at all. "No need for alarm, that fog is part of the Heart Kingdom's defense system," Mimosa began. "Only those who are allowed to enter can come in, everyone else will just get lost and wind up back where they started,"

Asta became starry-eyed. "Woah, that's so cool, no one bad must be able to get in,"

"Not exactly, the fog can still be breached by brute force of magic, but to my knowledge, no one's ever done it before," she said as the boat passed through the fog, now arriving on the other side.

The knights couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful sight before them, everything just seemed to burst with life. "Amazing," they muttered.

However, their entrance was known to another as the perspective shifted to a large building, a tall woman with long white hair standing inside with her face and body obscured. "It appears our guests have come. Go and give them a warm welcome," she spoke to a figure that dashed out of the room.

"Holy crap, I've never been to another kingdom before, so I didn't set expectations, but this place would've totally surpassed them," Kenos commented.

Mimosa giggled. "Kirsch and I did the same thing when we first got here, you'll get used to it,"

"To think that a person with a curse lives here," Asta said. "Where do we even start looking?"

He wouldn't get an answer to that just yet as everyone but him detected a mana signature closing in on their location and fast, but before anyone could do anything, the person it belonged to was standing on the boat with them. It was a relatively tall man, his skin was a tan color and his hair was primarily black with some white sprinkled in, but the most notable feature was the large scar going down from his left cheek to his neck.

"He was moving so quickly, even by our standards. Who is this guy?" the bulls thought, but once again, the golden dawn was excluded as she knew exactly who he was.

"Gaja, it's so nice to see you again," she greeted him, simultaneously diffusing the tension.

The man bowed his upper half. "Lady Mimosa, how nice it is to see you as well, you've grown up considerably in two years," he then took notice of the others. "And they are?"

"This is my cousin, Noelle, and these are our friends, Asta, Kenos, Finral, and Secre," she introduced them.

"Hello," they all waved.

"A pleasure," he gave them a respectful bow as well, none noticing him glare directly at the magicless boy.

Even though the man seemed friendly enough, Kenos couldn't help but feel that something was strange about him, or rather…something strange about his mana. He closed his eyes, waiting until he was in tune with the Ki of his surroundings, but to his shock, it happened far quicker than usual, making him turn around first.

His sudden movement caught everyone's attention. "Is something the matter?" the question came from Gaja.

"The mana of this place, it's so much easier to pick up, and it's denser too,"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'll explain. He's figured out how to actually see mana in the area and pick up on its differences, it's all part of a technique he created," the water mage informed him.

"He created a technique? That's very impressive," Gaja said with a tone of praise.

Kenos silently nodded his thanks. "This place would be optimal for some Mana Charge training," he thought before finally checking on the person he intended to, and as he did, his suspicions were confirmed. "Uh, Gaja, this may sound like a weird question, but have you ever experienced anything strange with your mana?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I've used this technique on many people, and one thing is always constant: their mana hovers around them, but not you. For some reason, your mana is on you, sticking to your sides like some kind of outline,"

"Oh, is that it? There's a simple explanation for that," he sounded unworried. "It's because I'm a Spirit Guardian,"

"A Spirit Guardian?" everyone repeated, even Mimosa wasn't aware of the term.

"Yes. A Spirit Guardian is a human that undergoes a special ritual, the result of said ritual transforming their body and making it partially mana itself for an astronomical boost in power, but not just anyone can partake in it. Those without the strength to handle it won't die, but they'll wish they had,"

The eerie mystery spooked the group a bit. "That shouldn't be a problem though, just do it on people you know for a fact are strong and they'll get even stronger," Asta tried to laugh it off.

"True, but there's a risk even for those who succeed," the spirit guardian warned. "When a regular person runs out of mana, they're fine, they just have to wait until they recharge, but if we, for whatever reason, deplete all the mana we have, we will die. Our mana is a part of us on a deeper level now, if it goes, there won't be enough left of us to survive,"

"I mean no disrespect to you, but why take such a risk?" Finral asked politely.

"For the sake of the Heart Kingdom and the Heart Queen, that's why there's always been Spirit Guardians, my group and I are just the newest generation," he said pragmatically as the boat continued to move, reaching a dead end.

"Is that it?" the sealing mage wanted to know.

"Not yet," Gaja answered as an upward path of water took form, the boat going further, now passing by civilians who waved at the newcomers.

The swordsman waved back at them. "You mentioned a queen. I take it she's the one in charge?"

"Correct. The Heart Queen is a wonderful ruler, very kind and benevolent, she loves the people and they love her back," he began to expound. "Not to mention she's very powerful too. The fog you saw outside along with this water path, it's all a product of her mana zone,"

"No way," Kenos gasped. "Her mana zone can cover the whole kingdom at all times? She really is powerful,"

In a few minutes, the boat was now under a tree. Gaja fired a series of magic bullets, blasting down six large fruits, the man producing straws of the same number from his pocket, poking them into each one. "Please help yourself to our refreshments,"

They each took one and sipped it. "So sweet," they said, all but Asta.

"Why is mine so sour?!"

"You're supposed to use your mana,"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Of course you are,"

"Don't worry, I'll add some for you," Mimosa was about to make her move.

"Don't bother with him, I'll do it, he's my squadmate," Noelle got in her way.

"It's no trouble at all, really,"

"I've got it,"

"Please move,"

"Not happening,"

"Wow, this really is sweet!" Asta's joyous declaration took the girls out of their squabble. "Thanks a bunch, Kenos,"

"It's alright, what are friends for?"

The water mage clenched her fruit tightly. "Oh c'mon! For the love of all that's good and holy, stop being such a good friend for once in your life!"

Gaja went on with his talk. "Yes, her Majesty is very powerful, but she doesn't exactly do it all by herself, she has help from the spirit she's contracted to: the Water Spirit, Undine,"

"Wait, one of the four great spirits resides here in Heart?" the spatial mage gasped. "That's so cool,"

"I am inclined to agree. Undine has been here since the kingdom's establishment, aiding one queen after the other, she's also the one who allows us to partake in the ritual to become Spirit Guardians," Gaja elaborated.

"Woah, I've only been here for a few minutes and I've already learned so much," Asta stated with enthusiasm. "Whatever cursed person is here, I'm sure the queen can take care of it,"

Hearing that made the man's composure break for the first time. "Did you say…a cursed person?"

"Um…yes?"

"So, you know about it? I don't know how, but you did,"

Asta waved it off. "Yeah, a friend's dad showed us,"

Gaja now stood beside him. "I see. Yes, there is a cursed person here, and it's made the future of our kingdom uncertain, but there is no more need for worry…because the solution has arrived,"

In an instant, a bubble of water encircled the peasant out of nowhere, zooming off to god knows where.

"Asta!" the others yelled, now directing their anger at Gaja. "What's the meaning of this?!"

"You will know in time," was his only response.

"Damn it, we have no time for your riddles!" Kenos spat. "Finral!"

"I'm on it!" he was ready as he watched as the four ran toward the front of the ship, boosting themselves up. "Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel's Wingbeat!" he shot the orbs at them, teleporting them away before doing the same to himself.

However, Gaja was unfazed, merely vanishing in a flash of light, appearing behind the man. "Hm, so that was spatial magic? We don't have that here, but it looks very useful,"

Noelle grit her teeth. "He caught up to us in no time," she turned to her squadmate. "Nero, go after Asta!"

She nodded as she transformed into a bird and flew off, meanwhile, Finral used a portal to bring himself and Mimosa back to ground level. As for the other two, they had other plans.

"Water Creation Magic: Valkyrie Armor!"

"Heaven Magic: Angel's Child!"

In a quick flurry of movements, the pair transformed, both brandishing their weapons. "I don't know what you want with him, but I'll warn you now, kidnapping a friend of royalty has consequences!"

"She's right! We may be neutral with Heart, but we'll go through everyone in this kingdom if we have to!"

"Very well," Gaja responded without hesitation, standing in the air, something his opponents didn't miss.

"How are you doing that?"

"It's an ability granted to Spirit Guardians, nothing more," his response was plain. "Based on what Finral just demonstrated, I'd say he's around Stage 3, but you two are an enigma right now,"

"Stages? What's he talking about?" they questioned in their minds, but pushed it aside.

They had a friend to rescue.

.

.

"AHHHHH!" Asta's muffled yells pierced the peaceful sounds of the area as the bubble he was in rushed through the air, finally entering a building through an opening in the roof.

It then began to descend slower, but that meant little as it still popped on impact, releasing the swordsman.

Asta let out a fit of coughs, just focusing on catching his breath. "Worst…ride…ever,"

"My apologies if it was unpleasant, but it was the fastest way to get you here," a new voice spoke, one that was distinctly female. He spun his body in a flash, coming face-to-face with the woman from before, but now she was fully revealed. Her form was notably larger than the reasonable height of any human and she wore a dress made entirely of water, sporting irregular ears of the same material.

"Let me guess, you're Undine? The Water Spirit?"

"Bingo!" she replied with a cutesy smile. "Gaja got to tell you about me,"

"Yeah, he did, but what he didn't tell me was why I got freaking kidnapped!"

Undine could see that the knight wasn't happy. "I can answer that part for you. We took you because we're in need of your power," she snapped her fingers, creating a small army of water soldiers.

"So that's it? You want my power?" Asta reached into his grimoire and pulled out the Slayer, doing a quick spin as anti-magic surged, revealing him in his transformed state.

"If you want it so bad, you're going to have to come and take it!"